40 years ago ...

... Tom Dempsey kicked his 63-yard field goal on Nov. 8, 1970. Thought I would upload this clip; it's the CBS call, which isn't heard often. Don Criqui with the call:

In my opinion, I think this is one of the greatest records in sport. Not only for its longevity (I know he shares it), but because of Dempsey's handicap. A guy with half an arm and half a foot making it in the NFL? I think it's wonderful what he did. Good story here from NFL Fanhouse (I never knew Billy Kilmer's nickname was 'Furnace Face'):

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/11/05/forty-years-later-tom-dempseys-63-yard-field-goal-endures/

 

Thanks for posting.

Just can't get enough of those links to material from FanHouse. That site has grown to impressive popularity levels here at SportsJournalists.com.

:-[ :-X :-\ ;D

 

Don Criqui had the call? Jeezus, what's Don, 85 years old going on 60????

 

One of my favorite pieces of trivia is also from this game. Not only did Dempsey kick the longest field goal, but he also kicked the shortest possible field goal ... eight yards. That can't happen again, obviously, since they moved the goal posts to the back of the end zone in 1974.

1st NOR Tom Dempsey 29 yard field goal
2nd DET Mel Farr 10 yard rush (Errol Mann kick)
NOR Tom Dempsey 27 yard field goal
3rd DET Charlie Sanders 2 yard pass from Bill Munson (Errol Mann kick)
NOR Tom Dempsey 8 yard field goal
4th NOR Tom Barrington 4 yard rush (Tom Dempsey kick)
DET Errol Mann 18 yard field goal
NOR Tom Dempsey 63 yard field goal

 

He was 29 or 30 when he called the Dempsey kick. Pretty quick ascent to his career to be calling NFL games at that age.

 

I was a 10-year-old kid in the hospital a couple of days after surgery to remove lumps from my neck that had doctors worried I had leukemia (I didn't, thank God). I was a Raiders fan and I remember watching that game and then seeing that on post-game highlights. I just remember it being a huge treat for me that the Raiders were on.

It still strikes me as incredible that that kick came from the Saints' 37-yard-line.

 

Thanks for that. Never saw the actual clip of television footage before, only the NFL Films material.

 

Isn't that Dick LeBeau (No. 44) defending on the sideline completion that set up that chip shot?

 

It was a cold, gray and frosty day in Michigan.

My 7th-grade friends and I were out playing touch football in the back yard. We suspended the game for a few minutes to watch what we assumed would be the winning FG on TV.

The Lions were actually quite good that year -- 10-4 and the first wild-card team from the NFC.

 

What blows my mind about the Dempsey kick is how effortless he made it look, whereas on Elam's altitude-aided boost, he almost fell down from trying to kick it so hard. Dempsey booted it like it was a 30-yarder, yet somehow at sea level it traveled 63 yards. Truly remarkable.

 

You're old.

Wasn't that back when each league only sent one wild card team to the playoffs? Three division champs and a wild card, right?